Base Class: The Miner

[Tyrael]

None of the flavor text has been written up yet, this is just the pure crunch. To be honest, this class was originally designed for use in a steampunk campaign, but I tried to make it as generic as I could.



THE MINER

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Hit Die: d10
CLASS SKILLS
The miner’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise(Int), Balance(Dex), Climb(Str), Knowledge: Architecture & Engineering(Int), Knowledge: Nature (Int), Listen(Wis), Profession: Miner(Wis), Search(Int), and Use Rope(Dex).
Skill points at each level: 4 + Int modifier, x4 at 1st level

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|

+0

|

+2

|

+0

|

+0

| Hopper, Mining Expertise, Canary +1
2nd|

+1

|

+3

|

+0

|

+0

| ---
3rd|

+2

|

+3

|

+1

|

+1

| Sharp Pick
4th|

+3

|

+4

|

+1

|

+1

| Tunnel Defense, Canary +2
5th|

+3

|

+4

|

+1

|

+1

| Foreman +1
6th|

+4

|

+5

|

+2

|

+2

| Darkvision 30ft
7th|

+5

|

+5

|

+2

|

+2

| Rush Hour (1/2)
8th|

+6/+1

|

+6

|

+2

|

+2

| Canary +3
9th|

+6/+1

|

+6

|

+3

|

+3

| ---
10th|

+7/+2

|

+7

|

+3

|

+3

| Foreman +2
11th|

+8/+3

|

+7

|

+3

|

+3

| Blindsense
12th|

+9/+4

|

+8

|

+4

|

+4

| Canary +4, Darkvision 60ft
13th|

+9/+4

|

+8

|

+4

|

+4

| Diamond Tip
14th|

+10/+5

|

+9

|

+4

|

+4

| Crack the Crust, Rush Hour (1/4)
15th|

+11/+6/+1

|

+9

|

+5

|

+5

| Foreman +3
16th|

+12/+7/+2

|

+10

|

+5

|

+5

| Canary +5
17th|

+12/+7/+2

|

+10

|

+5

|

+5

| ---
18th|

+13/+8/+3

|

+11

|

+6

|

+6

| Darkvision 90ft
19th|

+14/+9/+4

|

+11

|

+6

|

+6

| ---
20th|

+15/+10/+5

|

+12

|

+6

|

+6

| Fell the Mountain, Canary +6, Foreman +4

[/table]

CLASS FEATURES
All of the following are class features of the miner.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A miner is proficient with light armor, medium armor and simple weapons, as well as the light pick, heavy pick, dire pick, and greatpick.
Hopper: Hours of hauling ore carts builds good back muscles. The miner counts as one size category larger for purposes of determining carrying capacity and maximum load.
Mining Expertise: A miner may add half his class level as a bonus on all Profession (miner) checks.
Canary: Living down in the mines gives a miner a healthy sense for danger. Beginning at 1st level, the miner receives a +1 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid traps and cave-ins, and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. These bonuses increase by +1 every four levels thereafter.
Sharp Pick: At a glance, the miner can find just where to strike his pick to make the rock carve as easily as butter. At 3rd level, whenever attempting to mine through natural rock or stone, the miner may make a DC20 Spot check. If successful, he ignores the rock’s hardness when determining the result of his Profession (Miner) check.
Tunnel Defense: As a veteran of enclosed areas, the miner knows how to work effectively in cramped mineshafts. At 4th level, a miner is treated as one size category larger when using or resisting any special attack (for example, bull rush, disarm, grapple). A miner retains his Dexterity bonus to AC even if caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker in these confined conditions. When moving or squeezing through a tight space, a miner takes no penalties to attack bonus or AC due to the cramped conditions. All of the above benefits only apply when the miner is fighting in a location no wider than his combat space (5ft wide).
Foreman: Years of working as a team has helped the miner encourage teamwork in his co-workers. Starting at 5th level, the miner may grant all of his allies within 60ft (including himself) a +1 bonus on all skill checks in his Class Skills list. This bonus improves to +2 at level 10, +3 at level 15, and +4 at level 20. This ability is usable twice per day and lasts for 1 round/level.
Darkvision: Working so long beneath the earth has helped the miner’s eyes to adjust to pitch blackness. At 6th level, the miner gains Darkvision out to 30 feet. This increases by an additional 30 feet at 12th level, then again at 18th level.
Rush Hour: Working a deadline makes even the most sluggish arms leap into action. At 7th level, the amount of time it takes to mine out a 5 foot cube is cut in half. At 14th level, the amount of time is cut to one-fourth.
Blindsense: The miner has learned how to hone his senses to work effectively in total darkness. At 11th level, the miner gains blindsense out to 30 feet.
Diamond Tip: With just the right angle, the miner can pierce just about any sort of defense. At 13th level, the miner may add half his class level as a bonus to Sunder checks when attempting to sunder armor.
Crack the Crust: The miner’s eye is experienced enough to find the tiniest fractures in just about any object and exploit them. At 14th level, as a full-round action the miner may make a special attack with a pick weapon against a single opponent at his highest base attack bonus. If he hits, he may make a Profession (Miner) check against DC 15 + the opponent’s damage reduction. If you succeed, you ignore the opponent’s damage reduction. For every point you exceed the check, you deal an additional point of damage. If used against an opponent with armor, the armor must be sundered before he can use this special attack. The miner may use this ability a number of times per day equal to half his class level.
Fell the Mountain: With a swing of his axe, the miner makes the very earth itself tremble at his command. At 20th level, the miner may cast Earthquake once per day as a spell-like ability.

[Athaniar]

I've actually been thinking of such a class, but never made it. It looks good, as far as my untrained-when-it-comes-to-evaluating-crunch-balance-in-classes eyes can see. Also, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) is a perfect skill for this class.

[ColonelFuster]

Perhaps at 9th and 19th level, add pick-related bonus feats?

[brujon]

If i can be so bold, i don't think this class is balanced. I think it's severely underpowered, at least for players. Why? 3/4 BAB and no spellcasting or precision damage. I mean, even the monk is better. What does he has for offense? He can sunder easily? But even that, he only has at 13th level, when his pals will be already hitting for 100+ damage a round (at minimum), and not needing to sunder anything. So, what i think this class needs is some offense. Something like Flurry of Picks, for more attacks/round with picks, a dimension door-like ability to tunnel instantly and appear behind the enemy seems to fit as well, as is the ability to crack the ground below enemies to make them fall prone, etc... I seriously think, by the abilities and whatnot, that this is good for a NPC class, but not a PC class. If you plan on using it as a new base class for PC's, it needs some reworking. (But then, again, i don't know what classes/feats/books you'll be allowing in your campaign, so this may be all well and good, but it does not stand it's ground against a standard fighter on a even match.)

I hope my criticism helps you. But, i would TOTTALLY use this as an NPC class. It's perfect for what it's built to do, mine, just not to enter combat.


EDIT: I also forgot to mention, that the capstone ability seems a bit "Meh." Earthquake 1/day? There's a gazillion ways to do that already. Why not ignore all meta-and-stonel-related hardness? Such as iron/cold iron/etc...? Fluff fits, it's powerful enough, but not broken enough.

[Lappy9000]

I think this class is a great idea and executed wonderfully. However, I must agree with brujon that the class is underpowered. At the moment, there is a big issuse of what role the class fills. Mining? Not so good for adventuring.

Here's some ideas:

• Make them a skillmonkey. Lots of skill points to go with a d10 Hit Dice and good Fortitude saves. Pow, bingo, very unique class.
• Culmulative Burrow speed. Perhaps make it like the monk, but with a slower progression.
• Rush Hour isn't so great right now. How about making it haste allies?
• Maybe something similar to Diamond Tip, except that it lets the Miner make touch attacks with their melee weapon.

[DracoDei]

The number of dungeon threats that can be tunneled around is large in many cases, don't underestimate that. It can be a cheesy tactic, and is an invitation for random encounters, but if you have an entire class built around it... why not?

[Alcopop]

Sure or the druid could just morph into something with a burrow speed get it done in even less time AND not be useless at everything else. Or hell the sorc/wiz/cleric just casts stone shape. How does this class even compete to that one spell>?

Ehem, looks like a cool class, but bearly a step above commoners as far as power goes. So purly an NPC class atm. (which is fine in it's own right)

[Cieyrin]

I'll agree with the others that this feels NPC power level in scope. My one question is whether the Darkvision ability stacks with racial darkvision, as I see many dwarves and kobolds taking this class, as opposed to being Warriors. For mining type races, I definitely see this as a good default class, cuz really, defaulting to warrior doesn't necessarily make sense all the time, especially when not every race is a tribal hunter/gatherer society, amirite?

Them's my 2 coppers. Take as you will.

[Lappy9000]

The number of dungeon threats that can be tunneled around is large in many cases, don't underestimate that. It can be a cheesy tactic, and is an invitation for random encounters, but if you have an entire class built around it... why not?

Oh, no doubt. However, my point is that the class could use some more abilities for combat.

[SilentNight]

I agree this looks absolutely amazing as an NPC class but if you want it to compete with the rest of the core classes. Perhaps you could keep this and then put up a more PC friendly version as well. In keeping with the second line of thinking, I'm going to second the addition of more skill points and a scaling burrow speed. As far as increasing combat potential, miners most often use picks, which have a X4 crit multiplier. Simply give them some abilities that increase threat range by a considerable amount, possibly only under certain circumstances , and budabing, you have a new unique class capable of filling a couple different roles.

[Faleldir]

Shouldn't a miner have Stonecunning?